US designates Brazil's top gangs as terrorists, fueling political firestorm

The United States has designated Brazil's two most powerful criminal organizations, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho (CV), as international terrorist groups. This significant move, set to take effect on June 5, escalates the fight against organized crime and places Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in a politically sensitive position.

The designation shifts the battle against these groups from a purely policing matter to one addressed under U.S. National Defense doctrine. This enables American agencies, including the CIA and the Pentagon, to pursue the organizations' assets extraterritorially. The decision is expected to have considerable electoral impact, as public security has emerged as a primary concern for Brazilian voters.

Public opinion data indicates a strong public desire for criminal organizations to be treated as terrorist groups, with 73% of citizens supporting such a classification. However, a significant portion of the population, 58%, also expresses fear of potential U.S. military operations on Brazilian soil. This creates a complex dynamic for Lula's government, which faces pressure from both the public's demand for security and anxieties about foreign intervention.

The Brazilian government reacted with unusual harshness, calling the intervention "deplorable" and accusing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, of being a "traitor to the homeland." The Bolsonaro opposition, however, views the U.S. designation as a strategic opportunity. They see it as a way to divert attention from campaign issues that have recently plagued their efforts, such as financial scandals and alleged links to illicit activities.

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The government issued a statement in which it called the intervention of the Bolsonaro family 'deplorable' and directly accused Senator Flavio Bolsonaro – the eldest son of the former president and presidential candidate – of being a 'traitor of the homeland' for having pushed this agenda in Washington together with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, hours before the announcement.